Trails traveled: Castle Trail, Meadow Trail, Tower Trail, Difficulty: Easy (Green), Moderate (Blue)
Loop, 3 miles round-trip, 400 feet of elevation gain
Time: 3.5 hours
Weather: Cloudy, Overcast

• Hike with Kids
• Wildflowers
• Summit
• Tower
• Lookout
• Castle Ruins
• Adventuring Together

I love to hike in Colorado. Something that I try to do as much as I have the energy and will for is to going on a hike or adventure with my kids. They love getting outside, climbing on rocks, seeing some amazing sights, breathing the fresh mountain air, so it is a great way to connect with them in a memorable way.

I just started reading a new book by Greta Eskridge called, “Adventuring Together” and I am loving it. It is geared towards moms and women wanting to create memories with their kids from pre-birth to the teenage years and beyond on adventures in groups of parents with their kids to create new experiences and discover new things together.

Her thesis is that society says it is natural that as kids grow up they stop wanting to have meaningful relationships with their parents and a divide grows over time. From there it is normal to “let go” and let them do their own thing. Her idea is to intentionally create memories and build trust in a real relationship with your kids that lasts a lifetime. When things get awkward or it feels like they are pulling away, you need to give them appropriate space, but also work harder to have a meaningful relationship with them.

My kids are still a few years from adolescence, but next year my oldest will be a zero-teen preparing for the wiles of middle school. So I want to make sure I am making strides now to build and lay the foundation for a meaningful relationship through the coming years.

We hiked at Mount Falcon on Saturday starting from the West parking lot, and climbed Mount Falcon, first checking out the view from Eagle Eye shelter, then climbed the fire lookout near Mount Falcon’s summit. Then we took the trail to the John Walker “Castle” Ruins. I wrote a poem about those same ruins that I published in my book of nature poems, “Seasons of Nature.”

I have loved hiking with my kids as they grow up. The older kids hiked without a lot of difficulty. We stopped frequently had water, granola bars, and goldfish on hand, and I let them indulge their wild sides by climbing on the rocks at different points of interest. My youngest hiked with only minor complaining and less carrying on this 3 mile trek. Last year, I can’t remember any hikes that he walked on his own for more than 1/4 of the way, so I was thrilled to see how far he has come.

Reading this book makes me think it would be fun to get a Dad’s group together one weekend a month with as many kids as we can handle to go do an “age-appropriate” outdoor escapade. Maybe these types of things exist, but I haven’t heard of any in the groups of friends I journey with. I think it would be something fun to start.

– Jason